2013 Alpine Ski Team announced in Vail

Olympic gold medalists Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Julia Mancuso and Ted Ligety highlight a powerhouse team of 48 athletes named to the 2013 U.S. Alpine Ski Team during Nature Valley First Tracks. Hundreds of fans packed into Arrabelle Square to welcome the team during a public celebration that opened the 50th season of skiing at the historic alpine resort that will host the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. The Audi FIS Alpine World Cup tour opened with podium finishes from Ligety and young star Mikaela Shiffrin and now rolls though Colorado with the Nature Valley Aspen Winternational Nov. 24-25 in Aspen and the Audi Birds of Prey races Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in Beaver Creek.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Julia Mancuso and Ted Ligety headline a group of 48 athletes named to the 2013 U.S. Alpine Ski Team.
• Ligety opened the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup season in Oct. with a historic 2.75 second giant slalom victory in Soelden, Austria – the team’s European Training Base.
• Seventeen-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin landed the first podium of the season for the women’s team with a slalom third in Levi, Finland.
• The announcement was made during a fan celebration to kick off the historic 50th season of skiing in Vail, CO.
• Athletes have been in Colorado since late October training at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center in Copper Mountain and Golden Peak at Vail.
• Vail and Beaver Creek will host the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
• The World Cup season now moves to Colorado with the Nature Valley Aspen Winternational Nov. 24-25 in Aspen and the Audi Birds of Prey races Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in Beaver Creek.

QUOTES
Patrick Riml, Alpine DirectorIn many ways this is a young team, but on all levels it has incredible leadership, both from athletes like Bode, Lindsey, Ted and Julia and with our staff. Across the board, this program has a clear vision for success.

Sasha Rearick, Men’s Head CoachI’m incredibly proud of this group. The effort of our athletes and our coaches have put in during the off season has put us in a strong position for success this season. We also have to thank our sixth man and that’s our training partners. It’s critical to have excellent training partners. What we have here in Colorado and in Soelden is a huge advantage.

Alex Hoedlmoser, Women’s Head CoachThe team has been growing in the right direction. We have a lot of depth on the speed side and that shows as this group continues to be the best speed team in the world. That makes us a bit hunted, but on the tech side we still have to catch up. Mikaela has had incredible success early in her career, but we’re putting a focus on bringing up more young technical athletes.

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